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Oh what to do for the best????

Deevee

Young Bun
At the moment I have my 2 house rabbits Poppy & Tulip who are sisters and aged 4 years old. At the age of 2 they started fighting, so I had to keep them in separate pens after various attempts of rebonding them failed. Mornings and evenings they exercise together indoors and outdoors and sit and clean each other and you wouldn't think anything is wrong, but Tulip can turn on Poppy at anytime, so I have to be there all the time.

I now have my outhouse building adjusted to set up pens for bonding sessions and I am also having a 12ft by 6ft shed/run built in my garden in order to have more rabbits.

Which of the following do you think would be best:
1) With Poppy and Tulip, would it be best to introduce one male to them and do you think this may stop them fighting and then i can slowly introduce the 3 of them living outside in the new enclosure?
2) Or would it be best to introduce a male each to them and keeping one pair indoors and the other pair outdoors (but I would feel heartbroken in them having to always be apart from each other there onwards)?
3) Or would the easiest option be to leave poppy & tulip as they are now and get 2 bonded rabbits for the new enclosure?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated as my head is spinning here!
Thank you
 
Firstly are they both spayed? It's essential for bonding.

I would personally go with option 2 if you can afford an extra two rabbits. A rescue may be able to help you find the best partners for your girls. :)
 
Yes they are both spayed. I know Caroline at the rabbit residence rescue place and she does bonding sessions which I know would be best for them, but she is quite far away from me. May have a chat with her about maybe me bonding the 2 males here as I now have the space.
 
Sounds like a good idea. If you have a chat with her about your rabbits personalities she might be able to suggest some boys that would compliment them.

I've had a trio in the past and I never felt the bond was strong enough. I currently have two pairs and while it can be difficult as one suffers from referred aggression their bonds together seem very strong.
 
Yes they are both spayed. I know Caroline at the rabbit residence rescue place and she does bonding sessions which I know would be best for them, but she is quite far away from me. May have a chat with her about maybe me bonding the 2 males here as I now have the space.

Id def go for option 2 if you can. Its so hard when your girls fight when at the same time you can see they adore each others company...just not all the time....I may end up in a similar situation but am trying to sort things out myself too...perhaps your girls would each be happier with a partner who didnt turn on them suddenly and be able to have company thats relaxing for them both.....Caroline is great isnt she! I dont know her well...but she has given me great advice!:p
 
Id def go for option 2 if you can. Its so hard when your girls fight when at the same time you can see they adore each others company...just not all the time....I may end up in a similar situation but am trying to sort things out myself too...perhaps your girls would each be happier with a partner who didnt turn on them suddenly and be able to have company thats relaxing for them both.....Caroline is great isnt she! I dont know her well...but she has given me great advice!:p

Thanks for reply. Yes it is heartbreaking that they can't be left alone. It does seem to be Tulip that is the trouble maker. Poppy is very calm and placid and just moves away from Tulip when she goes for her. Although it is improving a little, it now only seems to be when she wants to be cleaned or when she knows dinner time is approaching.
Yes Caroline is fantastic, I wished I lived closer to her as I would be there helping her all the time.
 
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